Systematic Evaluation of Clinical, Nutritional, and Fecal Microbial Factors for Their Association With Colorectal Polyps.

INTRODUCTION: The identification of risk factors for precursor lesions of colorectal cancer (CRC) holds great promise in the context of prevention. With this study, we aimed to identify patient characteristics associated with colorectal polyps (CPs) and polyp features of potential malignant progression. Furthermore, a potential association with gut microbiota in this context was investigated. METHODS: In this single-center study, a total of 162 patients with CPs and 91 control patients were included. Multiple variables including information on lifestyle, diet, serum parameters, and gut microbiota, analyzed by 16S-rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and functional imputations (Picrust2), were related to different aspects of CPs. RESULTS: We observed that elevated serum alkaline phosphatase (AP) levels were significantly associated with the presence of high-grade dysplastic polyps. This association was further seen for patients with CRC. Thereby, AP correlated with other parameters of liver function. We did not observe significant changes in the gut microbiota between patients with CP and their respective controls. However, a trend toward a lower alpha-diversity was seen in patients with CRC. Interestingly, AP was identified as a possible clinical effect modifier of stool sample beta diversity. DISCUSSION: We show for the first time an increased AP in premalignant CP. Furthermore, AP showed a significant influence on the microbial composition of the intestine. Relatively elevated liver enzymes, especially AP, may contribute to the detection of precancerous dysplastic or neoplastic changes in colorectal lesions. The association between elevated AP, premalignant CP, and the microbiome merits further study.

A descriptive study of the progression of the Metabolic Syndrome in middle-aged Chinese population.

This longitudinal study investigated the prevalence of the Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) in middle-aged (44-56 years) men and women in China. The presence of the components of the MetS was determined in a cohort of 643 persons born in 1956, 1960-1961, and 1964 in Shanxi Province China in 2008 and 2012. The rate of MetS in 2008 was 51.63% (95% CI [44.73, 58.48]) and 37.15% (95% CI [32.56, 41.92]) and in 2012 was 50.23% (95% CI [43.35, 57.10]) and 46.26% (95% CI [41.46, 51.11]) for men and women, respectively. Increased blood glucose and triglycerides and decreased high-density lipoprotein for women, and blood glucose and triglycerides for men were the components responsible for the development of MetS from 2008 to 2012. MetS develops differently between men and women. From age 44 to 56, the rate is unchanged among men and increasing among women.